Date:
Time:
Reporter:
24.8.87
10 11 am
CNB/3
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has
1 Immediately after publication of the book in the United States,
therefore, copies of the book were brought into the United Kingdom. No steps have bean taken by Her Majesty's Government to prevent books coming into the country. The view
sensibly, I think been taken that powers to prevent import exist but would be ineffective. So anyone in the United Kingdom can purchase a copy of the book from the United States of America and bring it into the country without difficulty.
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I should mention also, perhaps, that the book
has now been published as well in Canada and a substantial number
of copies have been sold there too.
On the 16th of July the Attorney applied for
an injunction to restrain "The Sunday Times" from publishing further extracts from the book. The Attorney brought his claim to restrain what he said would be a contempt of court by reason of
There the existing injunctions against the other two newspapers. was no claim that an injunction should be granted on the basis that
"The Sunday Times" would be in breach of any duty of confidentiality. The Vice-Chancellor granted an injunction restraining publication by "The Sunday Times" until the 21st of July. In the meantime it was agreed that the Vice-Chancellor would consider the claim of "The Guardian" and "The Observer" to have the injunctions against them discharged, and "The Sunday Times," by reason of being effectively banned by those injunctions, would have a right to be heard in support of those newspapers' claims to have the injunctions discharged. And, indeed, "The Sunday Times" was heard and was 27 represented, if I may say so, very ably, by Mr Lester.
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The Vice-Chancellor heard argument on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of July. He considered the balance of convenience, 30 which he took to be the correct approach. He held that, weighing
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all the factors, it was inappropriate to continue the injunctions. This was because the information contained in "Spycatcher" was no longer secret and the only public interest in restraining publication, that is, to deter other members of the Security Service from seeking to publish their memoirs, was outweighed by the public interest in freedom of the press in all the oiroumovanoo0 of the saSE,
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